The Money Fight in D.C.

     There are some parts of the big spending bills under consideration that impact Alabama, incluidng a proposed extension of I-85 Westward that would provided much needed transit corridor through Montgomery and Demopolis

     But another part that caught my attention is in West Virginia. Read this part of a N.Y. Times story:

"The legislation maintains an existing program that helps clean up abandoned coal mines, providing $11.3 billion for states like West Virginia for their continued restoration to protect communities nearby. At least 140,355 acres of land in West Virginia require cleanup that would cost nearly $2 billion to address, according to an estimate provided by Mr. Manchin’s office.

     The state would also receive funding to address so-called orphan wells, or abandoned oil and gas wells that risk leaking toxic emissions and pollution into water. There are at least 4,646 documented wells in West Virginia."

 

Uh, any thought to going to court to sue the original owners of those wells? Senator Manchin? Senator?

Covid19 Deaths. Alabama is #1

 

Alabama
Deaths per 100,000: 2.74
Daily average deaths: 134.6

 

 

Full state ratings HERE.

Battle Lines Drawn Over Changing name of Jeff Davis Avenue. Montgomery vs Gov. Ivey and AG Marshall

 

 

Alabama News Network reports:  

The Montgomery Planning Commission has voted unanimously to change the name of Jeff Davis Ave. to Fred D. Gray Avenue.

That would be an apparent violation of The Kay Ivey Confederate Monument Protection law, which specifically bans re-naming streets or buildings. The state can approve changes, but the Attorney General has been upholding the law and imposing fines of $25,000 on cities that violate it, including Birmingham.

The city sent letters to 93 property owners on Jeff Davis Ave. 

Only thirteen of them sent back letters opposing the name change."

The Governor defended the bill she signed into law:

“We can’t change or erase our history, but here in Alabama, we know something Washington doesn’t — to get where we’re going means understanding where we’ve been,” 

The city council will have the final word.

Ken Burns: New U.S. Civil War Possible

 

 Documentary maker Ken Burns, speaking about the political divide in the U.S. to The Independent:

“It’s really serious. There are three great crises before this: the Civil War, the Depression, and World War II. This is equal to it,” Mr Burns replied.

Mr Burns referenced a speech by Abraham Lincoln in 1838 about whether the United States would be crushed by some trans-Atlantic military giant, in which the future president said:

 

 

 

“Never. All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years. No, if destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we will live forever or die by suicide.”

 “And we’re, you know, we’re looking right down the muzzle of that gun,” Mr Burns said.

Opinion: A Solution in Search of a Problem?

  "Secretary of State John H. Merrill is pleased to announce the formation of the Voter Fraud Reform Task Force...The task force will consist of 15 members, including the Secretary of State serving as the Chairman. (He says)“We believe it is necessary to examine how we define voter fraud in our state and the penalties we assess for voter fraud violations. It is important to note that we assembled a team of respected Alabamians from diverse backgrounds and political persuasions."

     So far as I can tell there is very LITTLE voter fraud in Alabama. Absolutely zero? No, but a handful of cases compared to millions of votes. I suggest we watch the work of this group very carefully.

     If Merrill wants to encourage legal voting, which he has said he does, he should consider weekend voting and other options that make it easier, not forming task forces to dream up ways to inhibit voting. 

Confederate stained-glass windows being replaced in D.C. cathedral

 

 

Sept. 23, 2021, 12:01 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON — Four years after removing stained-glass windows honoring two Confederate generals, Washington National Cathedral officials said Wednesday they had chosen an acclaimed Black artist, Kerry James Marshall, to design their replacements.

The artist visited the cathedral for the first time on Wednesday after being given the task of healing a small wound in the country’s second-largest cathedral. Together with the poet and author Elizabeth Alexander, Mr. Marshall will design two stained-glass windows addressing themes of racial justice to replace those that paid tribute to Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

{FULL N.Y. Times story is HERE.}

(UPDATED w/ Photo of Full Sized Model) The James Webb Space Telescope Deployment In Detail

 

 

 

Imagine the complexity of deploying this massive space telescope a million miles away. Unlike the Hubble, there will be no possible shuttle mission to fix problems that may develop. Launch is expected in December. First photos expected in the Summer of 2022.

 

"A full-scale model of the unusual telescope, shown here at South by Southwest in Austin, has been exhibited around the world to show the public how it will look out in space."

Could we attract this model to Montgomery? 

Emancipation Monument Unveiling Livestream

http://mlkcommission.dls.virginia.gov/lincoln/monument.html

 

One former Confederate Capital is replacing the Robert E. Lee statue this morning.

The other former Capital?

 

TIMLENNOX.COM OPINION: A Weather Complexity Complaint on Day one of Fall

  

Watching the forecast on Alabama News Network one night, I was again struck by what a poor job the National Weather Service did when selecting the words to use to designate the various levels of weather danger approaching....Marginal? Slight? Enhanced? WHAT???

There are to many levels. Too many for there to be any appreciable difference for the average viewer (which is really the only thing that matters!) AT ANN, the forecasters have adopted a three level color code that is, frankly, mush easier to follow. Red, Green & Yellow. They're not replacing the NWS codes, but clarifying them in a more usable way.

The Wonder Years | Official Trailer - Series Premiere is tomorrow night--- Sept 22---on ABC 32

Here's a Top Ten List Alabama Is NOT on. And doesn't want to be!

A car insurance outfit has ranked the states based on the number of rude drivers it has.

Alabama is NOT on the list:

Top 10 States with the Rudest Drivers 2021

1. Virginia - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 43.26 out of 1,000
2. Delaware - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 41.25 out of 1,000
3. Idaho - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 39.97 out of 1,000
4. Georgia - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 39.53 out of 1,000
5. Wyoming - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 38.35 out of 1,000
6. Ohio - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 37.67 out of 1,000
7. Wisconsin - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 35.29 out of 1,000
8. Nebraska - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 35.14 out of 1,000
9. Iowa - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 34.80 out of 1,000
10. Alaska - Drivers cited for rude behavior: 33.53 out of 1,000

 See the full article from Insurfy HERE.

 

No Charges?

      Two South Carolina infants die when they are left in a hot car by a distracted father, and no charges are filed?

"After a three-week long investigation, RCSD and the coroner’s office held a press conference Tuesday, saying the solicitor’s office decided no charges will be filed.

According to RCSD Sheriff Leon Lott, the father of the children thought he dropped them off at daycare before going to work. When he returned, he realized they’d been left in the car.

Lott says the father was under a lot of work stress and that the case is a “tragic, horrible accident.”

“This is a parent’s worst nightmare,” Sheriff Lott said. “Everybody that’s been involved in this case has been touched by it…I just ask people to pray. This family needs prayer, their life will never be the same.”

RCSD, Richland County Coroner’s Office and the solicitor’s office investigated the case."

 

     Boy they have some forgiving prosecutors in South Carolina. NO charges? Not manslaughter? NOTHING?

   See FULL USA Today story HERE. 

 

Media: OT for Newspaper employees?

 

 (NOTE: The Montgomery Advertiser is owned by Gannett.)

"New York (CNN Business)The NewsGuild, a labor union that represents thousands of journalists, is investigating the workplace culture of US newspaper conglomerate Gannett (GCI), starting with the issue of unpaid overtime work.

NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss sent a letter to Gannett CEO Mike Reed last Friday about the union's plan to launch an investigation and requested the company do the same. The union also called on Gannett, which owns USA Today and more than 260 local publications including The Arizona Republic, the Detroit Free Press and The Indianapolis Star, to agree to other labor protections proposed in the ongoing union bargaining taking place in some of its newsrooms."

 

FULL CNN story is HERE.

Protests Promoting Alabama Medicaid Expansion

 Groups gathered in several cities in Alabama, including Montgomery, to push for Medicaid expansion. It is not a new issue...Alabama is one of a dozen states that have refused to expand the program that provides health care for the poor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

     The small but enthusiastic Montgomery group met at the Unitarian Church at sunset, lighting candles and singing hymns.

      

 

     Some 314 thousand people would gain health insurance if Governor Ivey and the legislature agreed to the expansion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Governor has said repeatedly the state does not have funding to provide the expansion, although the original offer from the Federal Government paid for most of it.
By saying no, Alabama effectively rejected almost $5-Billion in funding.
 

The www.healthinsurance.org website supports expansion, and reports on the benefits the state would receive by doing so:

"To qualify for federal Medicaid funding, states are required to cover low-income children, pregnant women, parents of minor children, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Coverage for additional groups is optional, with the state receiving additional funding for the groups it elect to include in its program.

The federal government sets baseline eligibility levels, which states can adjust upwards. The income limits vary widely by category and by state.

Alabama’s current Medicaid eligibility criteria are more limited than many other states. The state’s program covers:

• Children up to 146% of the federal poverty level (FPL); children up to 312% of FPL qualify for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
• Pregnant women up to 146% of FPL
• Parents and caretaker relatives up to 18% of FPL
• Elderly and disabled individuals with certain medical conditions and income levels.

Childless adults in Alabama are not eligible for Medicaid."

 Here is a map of the states that have, and have not expanded Mediciad:

COVID19 State Death Rates

Alabama has the 2nd highest in the U.S. behind Florida.

 

 

 

 

 

Florida
Deaths per 100,000: 1.64
Daily average deaths: 352.6

Alabama
Deaths per 100,000: 1.56
Daily average deaths: 76.3

 

Full list of states is HERE.